Explanations
by candypink26
Summary: "What? You're pregnant?" he exclaimed, looking somewhat devastated. "It was a one-night stand," she said, swapping glances with Nick, as he shot a smirk back at her. Snickers. RE-EDIT COMING UP.
1. Chapter 1

Explanations: Chapter 1

_**This is a generally Snickers friendship/humor based fanfic. The summary says it all (mostly). Enjoy.**_

_**Rated T for safety.**_

* * *

"Oh, crap," Sara mumbled to herself as she wiped her mouth on her sleeve, pulling the handle of the flush down. She had thrown up for the third time that night. All this throwing up was killing her, she thought, as she washed her face in the sink.

She looked up into the mirror, and realized just how pale she had become in the past few days. She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair in frustration, exiting the bathroom. She felt like slapping herself – if only she could turn back time.

It would be difficult to concentrate on the cases they have at the LVPD if she keeps disappearing off to puke her guts out. But what could she do? Grabbing the bottle of medication, she could only shake her head as she poured two tablets out, and proceeded to down her medication.

* * *

Sara entered the break room only to see a familiar back towards her. He was bent down in front of the fridge.

"Hey," she greeted listlessly.

"Oh, hey," Nick greeted back, peering at her over his shoulder. "You okay, Sara?"

"Yeah… I'm fine," she answered.

He nodded, then returned his attention to the fridge.

"Want a beer?"

"No thanks," she declined, and flashed a small smile at him.

Shutting the fridge, with a can of beer in his hand, he pointed towards the coffee maker sitting on the counter top. "Coffee? You look like you could need some." Sara shook her head. "Nah. I'll just have some good ol' plain water…" she said, walking over to the counter and reaching for the jug of water right beside the coffee maker. Raising an eyebrow, Nick plopped down on the couch. He asked as he opened his beer, "You sure you're okay? It's not like you to refuse some coffee."

Pouring some water into a cup, Sara shot him a sideways glance. "It isn't a big deal."

"Really?" he shot at her, skeptically.

She made to respond, but then suddenly stopped in her tracks, her hand shooting up to her mouth. Nick, startled at her suddenly stopping, immediately stood up from the couch. "See?" he said, earning a glare from her. "It looks like a big deal. What's wrong?"

"Well, I've been throwing up."

"What? You pregnant?" he asked, laughing, and leaning back on the couch.

"Yeah, Nick. I'm pregnant."

Nick's eyes widened. "What? You're_ pregnant?_" It took a while for this to settle in his brain. He then asked, as Sara watched him, amused. "Who's the father? Grissom? Warrick? _Greg_?" His mouth hung open as she laughed heartily.

"No, Nick!" she said, shaking her head. "It's _food poisoning_! Seriously!"

He blinked a few times, as this truth settled in.

"Oh! …Oh, right!"

Sara smirked. "It's that bistro down the street," she stated. "I forgot that there were rumors of contaminated food… I was in a rush to get to work., and forgot," she continued, still laughing, as Nick grinned sheepishly, his face flushing, and he realized how silly he was just now. "Oh, man… I seriously thought you were pregnant there," he said, still grinning madly.

"Pregnant? Who?"

The pair heard the third voice, and looked up to find Catherine in the room.

Sara _swore _she saw a glint of mischief in Nick's eyes...

* * *

**_Well, that's chapter 1... I know it's short. _**

**_Continue?_**


	2. Chapter 2

Explanations: Chapter 2

_**Yup. Chapter 2's here. (:**_

_**Thanks to all who reviewed/faved: **__**Moochiecat**__**, **__**, **__**CrazedCSIJunkie**__**, **__**jdcocoagirl**__**, and **__**Gregforever**__**. **__**It's very much appreciated.**_

* * *

"Uh… actually, it's-"

"She's pregnant, Cath!" Nick interrupted her.

Catherine froze. "Wait, what? Sara's pregnant?" The strawberry-blonde raised an eyebrow, as she watched the pair. Sara frowned, and gave Nick a "what-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-doing" look. He pretended not to have seen it, and replied Catherine, "Yeah. It's true."

Catherine's jaw dropped, as she stared at Sara.

"What? _Really_?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, really," Nick replied for Sara, before she could react.

"Uh, give us a moment, Cath?" Sara said suddenly, and then proceeded to grab Nick by the arm, hauling him out of the room, while Catherine looked on, slightly puzzled.

Safely out of earshot of anyone, Sara said as crossed her arms across her chest, "What was that? You know that's not true at all. Did you _have_to tell Catherine?"

"Aw, c'mon, Sara," Nick defended himself, grinning. "It's just a prank!"

Sara frowned, not very much convinced.

"Look - we can have lots of fun with this!" he said. "It's harmless, I swear! So? Are you with me?"

"We would need to do _a lot_ of explaining, Nick," Sara stated. "Uh... You sure?"

Nick nodded confidently. "Absolutely," he replied, giving her a little wink. "Trust me."

It was Nick's turn to haul Sara back into the break room.

"Well?" Catherine asked as she turned around, a cup of coffee in her hand now. "Okay, so we've talked it out, Cath," Nick said, putting down the can of beer that was in his hand. "I think we should tell you. C'mon, sit down." Catherine raised her eyebrows, and proceeded to sit down on one of the chairs. Nick and Sara took their seats opposite hers.

Nick took a deep breath. "Well, Sara _is_ pregnant, as you know," he said, grinning widely now, Catherine mimicking him, while Sara forced herself not to laugh out loud. "Yeah, I do know that," Catherine replied. "And? Who's the father?" she asked, turning to Sara.

"Well," Sara started uncomfortably, and she felt _so_ embarrassed.

"She's really uncomfortable saying it, so I'll say it for her," Nick piped up suddenly. Sara shot him a 'you'd-better-watch-what-you're-saying' look, while Catherine wasn't noticing.

"Well, _I_ am the father."

He said it. Catherine's eyes, if possible, grew even wider, as she stared at the pair sitting right in front of her.

"Wait, what?"

Nick and Sara turned around at hearing the fourth voice.

"Uh, hey, Greg," Sara greeted awkwardly, as Greg stood in the doorway.

"What? You're _pregnant_?" he exclaimed, looking somewhat devastated.

"It was a one-night stand," Sara said, swapping glances with Nick, as he shot a smirk back at her.

"_Really_?" Catherine exclaimed, as Greg immediately sat down next to her.

"Yeah. We were kinda drunk that day," Nick said.

Sara nodded. "It was totally an accident."

"Yeah. Totally."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"So… what plans have both of you got?" Catherine asked.

"Well, we're gonna keep the kid, obviously," Nick replied.

"Uh-huh," Sara agreed. "If it's a boy, we'll name him George."

Nick gave her an approving look, nodding his head. "And if it's a girl, we'll name her Georgia."

"And if it's really necessary, we can get married!"

"Yeah, there's a five-minute wedding chapel down the road."

"That doesn't sound bad at all...!"

Catherine and Greg continued to gawk at the duo. Greg cleared his throat.

"Then… what are both of you gonna do if Ecklie finds out…?"

* * *

_**I know it's damn short. Sorry 'bout that.**_

_**Continue?**_


	3. Chapter 3

Explanations: Chapter 3

_**I am SO sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! I was busy, and partly wasn't motivated to write. Don't kill me! D:**_

_**Anyway, I'm back with chapter 3. Finally, I know. And much thanks to all of you guys who reviewed and faved the previous chapters. (:**_

_**(Oh, and pardon me if the addresses that Grissom gives out seem off or wrong. :x I just researched it on Google Earth.)  
**_

* * *

"Ecklie?" Nick scoffed. "Nah, he won't find out."

"Yeah, we _are_ professionals," Sara said, smiling.

"Well, if he does happen to find out," Nick added. "I guess I'll have to go over to day shift then. No big deal I guess."

"It is a big deal, Nick!" Catherine exclaimed. "We need you here on the graveyard shift!"

"What's a big deal?"

The four turned around to see Warrick in the room.

"Uh, well…" Sara started.

"They hooked up," Catherine stated plainly, gesturing to Nick and Sara.

"Wait, _what_?"

"Yeah. It's true, man," Greg piped up, glancing at the pair.

With his mouth hanging open, Warrick turned to Nick. "Whoa. You serious?"

"Dead serious, man," Nick replied. "It was an accident."

Sara nodded solemnly. "Yeah… totally."

Taking a seat at the table as well, Warrick raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm skeptical, Stokes."

"You don't need to be, Brown."

"I don't know, but I don't think I'm buying it. So, _when_ exactly did you guys hook up?"

Nick and Sara replied simultaneously.

"Three weeks ago."

"Five weeks ago."

With a smirk appearing on Warrick's face, and as Catherine and Greg turned to the duo, Nick spoke up. "Well, the timeline was a little fuzzy… It should be five weeks ago, yeah…"

"See? It's obviously a prank," Warrick said to Catherine and Greg.

"I don't know," Catherine said. "I beg to differ."

Greg shook his head. "Huh. Now that you mention it, Warrick…"

"Okay. Twenty bucks says it's a hoax," Warrick announced, standing up from his seat, as he shot a glance at Nick and Sara, slamming a hand on the tabletop.

"Twenty bucks says it's not," Catherine declared, standing up as well, she and Warrick staring challengingly at each other.

Catherine and Warrick then both looked at Greg expectantly.

"Uh, going with Warrick," Greg said.

"Okay. Deal," Warrick said, smirking.

Sara laughed. "Why are you guys betting on something like this? Seriously?"

"Because I believe it's a hoax," Warrick answered. "We'll see if it is or not pretty soon."

"Oh, how can you be so sure?" Nick asked.

"Because I'm gonna tell Ecklie."

"Oh, you won't," Nick warned, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, I will," Warrick said.

"You can't do that!" Sara exclaimed. "What'll happen to Nick?"

"Nothing will," Warrick stated. "Cuz' both of you didn't hook up at all," he finished, watching Nick and Sara with a triumphant look on his face.

"It isn't a hoax. Nick will get in deep shit, Warrick," Catherine said, with Nick and Sara swapping glances without anyone noticing.

"What 'deep shit'?"

All five of them jumped at hearing the sixth voice.

"Nothing, Gil," Catherine said immediately, casting Warrick a wary look.

"I'm sure I heard something along the lines of Nick getting into deep trouble," Grissom said, looking around the room at the five of them. "Okay, enough with that for now. Got urgent cases to handle," Grissom continued, not noticing the rest of the people in the room, except Warrick, swapping glances.

"Nick and Sara, a body dump down at Charleston Boulevard," he said, looking up at the duo. "And two 419s at the local convenience store, for Catherine and Greg," Grissom continued, looking up at the group. "Warrick, you're coming with me. Shooting incident at Pennwood. No casualties, but a few injured, and several shook-up bystanders," Grissom finished.

"It's going to be a busy day today, so it looks like we'll need to work overtime today," Grissom added, shaking his head. "Get to work, guys."

The CSIs exited the room in their respective pairs. Warrick frowned as he swapped glances with Nick and Sara just before they split ways, without Grissom noticing anything.

_**

* * *

I know it's short. Don't kill me! D: I'll try my best to do up chapter 4 to make it up to you guys. **_


	4. Chapter 4

Explanations: Chapter 4

_**Well, chapter 4's here. I know the previous chapter was, 'meh', but I think (and hope) this chapter is much better! (:**_

_**Thanks to everyone who faved and reviewed the previous chapters!  
**_

* * *

Warrick and Grissom were at the LVPD car park, headed towards the SUV.

_Please, don't ask, Gris, _Warrick pleaded silently in his head. What in the world was he supposed to say? As much as he wanted to screw up Nick's 'plot', Catherine could be right – _what if it wasn't a hoax? _Things would get an awful lot worse if Grissom decides to drop Ecklie a note, though he may or may not do that. Then, Nick might end up getting switched to day shift, and he would hate Warrick forever...

"So, what was going on among all of you?" Grissom spoke, breaking Warrick's train of thoughts. "You guys seemed… secretive."

_Great. He asked. Well, act like you don't know anything, Warrick._

"Sorry?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Warrick," Grissom replied, unlocking the door of the vehicle.

_Okay, new plan... _Well, he certainly couldn't fool Grissom, but at least he could try.

"Uh, it wasn't anything, really," Warrick answered as he climbed into the passenger's seat, earning a raised eyebrow from the older man. "We were… uh… talking about the soccer match later on."

"So what trouble was Nick getting into?" Grissom asked again as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"He betted… on an unreliable team," Warrick continued. "He's crazy, I swear. We told him they wouldn't win, but he wouldn't listen..."

Grissom nodded, and didn't say anything else while he started the engine. Warrick heaved a (silent) sigh of relief at this, and prayed that he wouldn't mention about that again…

* * *

"Why are we going this way? I thought the Denali was outside?" Greg asked, pointing towards the direction they came from, as he and Catherine were walking along the corridor, passing by several laboratories.

"I left my cellphone in one of the labs," Catherine stated.

"It's just an excuse to get away from Grissom and Warrick, right?"

Catherine pursed her lips. "Well, yeah," she said. "But I did leave my cellphone somewhere. Should be with Hodges."

They had reached the trace lab, and Catherine strode in, with Greg outside waiting. Hodges and Wendy were inside, deep in conversation.

"Hey," Catherine greeted, picking her phone off of one of the tables.

"Oh, hey," Hodges responded, turning around, and Wendy smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. "Uh, I was gonna ask you to get your phone, but I see you've remembered," he added with a smile.

"Thanks," Catherine replied, returning the smile, and making to exit the lab.

"We heard about a bet going on," Wendy started suddenly. Catherine swiveled around, surprised, and Greg entered the lab as well. "What? From where?" Greg asked.

Wendy shrugged. "Archie told me. He said he heard it from Henry. Apparently Henry overheard your… conversation," she said, as Catherine and Greg swapped glances.

"Wow… News spread like wildfire here," Greg commented, as Catherine nodded in agreement.

"Especially issues like that," Hodges explained. "So? Has the answer been revealed? Did Nick and Sara…?"

"We don't know for sure yet," Catherine answered. "But I think they did."

"I beg to differ," Greg said. "I think they're joking."

"Of course you do," Hodges replied, and Greg raised an eyebrow at that, with Catherine and Wendy grinning. "I don't want to speculate about it, though."

"Oh, good for you," Greg quipped.

"Well, we have to go now," Catherine cut in, grabbing Greg by the arm. "He's getting a little distracted here."

"No, I'm not!" Greg shot back, miffed, as Hodges and Wendy watched him get hauled out of the lab by Catherine, with humor written all over their faces.

* * *

They turned a corner into the locker room, and both of them leaned against the lockers.

"They're gone?" Sara asked.

"I think so," Nick replied, peering out into the corridor.

Ducking back into the locker room, he swapped looks with Sara.

"Okay, what just happened?"

"Uh, we fabricated a total lie, and tried to fool everybody."

"And everybody started betting on it."

"Uh-huh."

A slight pause ensued.

Sara broke the silence. "What are we gonna do?"

"Uh… I guess we'll keep this up till Ecklie finds out."

"Which is something that'll eventually happen, right?"

"Unfortunately, yeah."

"But it was kinda fun, wasn't it?" Sara asked, smiling.

"Yeah, it was," Nick answered, a grin forming on his face. "The looks on their faces were hilarious!"

"And they started betting on it so spontaneously!"

Another pause ensued.

"You know, maybe…" Nick started, moving closer to Sara. He was now standing in front of her. "Uh, Nick…?" Sara uttered uncertainly, as he leant an arm on the locker behind her, his face dangerously close to hers now.

"What the heck. Let's just do the deed worth punishing for."

"Are you crazy?" Sara exclaimed, flushing, as she grinned and hit Nick's arm playfully.

"I'm kidding! Look at you, you're blushing!" Nick responded, grinning widely himself.

"Oh, stop flirting with me," she replied, smirking, but still evidently flushing.

Suddenly, they heard someone clearing his throat. The pair looked up at him, and they were gripped with shock and surprise at his appearance.

"Stokes. Sidle. My office, now."

_Crap.  
_

_**

* * *

Leave a review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Explanations: Chapter 5

_**Chapter five! Many thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter. (:**_

_**I'll try to make this chapter good. Read, enjoy, and review!**_

* * *

"Enlighten me."

There Conrad Ecklie sat, in front of the two CSIs, his hands clasped together on the table, as he stared at them. The duo knew they had to do _something_. It was _Ecklie._

"Sorry?" Nick clarified, even though he had a pretty good idea what he wanted.

"Don't pretend you don't know, Stokes," Ecklie answered, with Nick frowning at that comment. "What were both of you doing in the locker room?"

Nick and Sara swapped glances. Apparently, he didn't know about the bet. That was something to be relieved about. Sara turned back to the older man.

"We weren't doing anything," Sara said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Really?" Ecklie asked. "It definitely seemed like something to me."

"We were flirting, if that's what you're wondering," Sara replied, miffed. "That isn't illegal, isn't it?"

"Don't talk like that, Sidle. Do you want to get suspended _again_?" Ecklie snapped.

"Well, I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" she retorted.

Nick grabbed her arm, shaking his head. Sara then leaned back in her chair, casting Ecklie a wary look, but Ecklie pretended not to see.

"Okay. We were flirting," Nick said. "That was all. C'mon, both of us are just friends, nothing more than that."

The two CSIs watched Ecklie's reaction.

"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.

"Positive."

Just then, Sara's hand shot up to her mouth as she made a horrible retching sound; she threatened to retch right onto Ecklie's office floor.

"Care to explain?" Ecklie said at once, raising an eyebrow.

"Later," Sara uttered, as she dashed out of Ecklie's office, with Nick right behind. "Be right back," he added, before leaving behind Sara.

Pushing open the door of the lavatory, Sara immediately threw up in one of the toilet bowls. Nick followed behind, looking around, and seeing no one else in the ladies' but them, he heaved a sigh of relief, and went over to where Sara was.

"Feeling any better?" Nick asked, cringing, as Sara continued vomiting.

"No. How would I be feeling any better?" she replied, after finally stopping her vomiting. Her face was awfully pale, as she wiped her mouth with her hand. "This happens like, four or five times a day, what do you think?"

"I thought you took your meds," Nick said, patting her on the back, as she started coughing.

"Oh, yeah, but the meds can only do so much, and I don't want anything stronger, lest it affects my work," she answered wearily.

"Well, okay, but we definitely need an answer for Ecklie," Nick stated, as he helped her up from the floor. She shrugged in response. "Oh, I don't know. We can't keep this charade up any longer," she said, washing her hands at the sink. "Sure, it may be fun…" she continued, as Nick smirked. "…but I think we should stop here for now. You don't want any of us to get switched over to another shift, do you?"

"Nah," Nick replied, shaking his head, and he sighed. "Ah well. Joke's over. Catherine owes Warrick and Greg twenty dollars each now," he continued with a chuckle, as he watched her dry her hands on her jeans hastily.

"Yeah, but they started it," Sara pointed out, as they walked hurriedly out of the ladies'. "We didn't exactly tell them to bet on our non-existent one-night-stand."

Nick replied a short 'yeah', and pushed open the door back to Ecklie's office.

"Well, we'd love to stay and chat," Nick said as he and Sara entered, earning a glare from Ecklie, as he picked up on the sarcasm in his voice. "But we've got a case to work on, and we're running late already. Long story short, Sara's just got food poisoning, and was throwing up so much we basically made up this joke that we slept together, and that she was pregnant and stuff… The rest of the guys just started betting on it, to see if it was true or not. That was all, we swear."

The older man raised an eyebrow. "Sure?"

"Absolutely," Nick and Sara replied simultaneously.

"Okay," Ecklie said, trying to grab hold on what Nick had just rambled at him. "Both of you are dismissed. I'll call you back if I need anything else."

Mumbling a 'thanks', the duo exited the office, heading towards the carpark.

Sara smirked. "Okay, mission accomplished."

"Pretty much," Nick replied. "Now we've gotta explain it to the rest of them."

_**

* * *

Yeah, I know it's a pretty short chapter. Bear with me. I'll try to update as often as I can, but of course, there's always holiday homework here… Anyway, if you've got comments, suggestions, or criticism, leave a review!**_

_**Oh, and FYI: this story may (hopefully) reach up to 10 chapters in the future! So look out for that. ;)**_


	6. Chapter 6

Explanations: Chapter 6

_**Merry Christmas! Chapter 6's here! **_

_**Hope you guys will enjoy it. I'll try my best to add in humor in the story. (The first part will be mainly about the case, more humor will come later. Oh and some parts may not tally up, about their different shifts and stuff. Let's assume they're all on the same shift! (Darn Ecklie…) **_

* * *

Finally reaching Charleston Boulevard, the Denali came to a halt some distance away from a deep slope. From the inside of the vehicle, they could see a blood-covered body lying across the grass at the bottom of the slope. Another few vehicles were parked close to where they were. It was the medical van, they realized, as they saw Super Dave somewhere nearby the body. The other vehicle was a police car, and a police officer looking seriously stressed out was standing by it. Nick and Sara got out of the SUV, kits, gloves and cameras ready, and they approached David.

"Hey David," he greeted the coroner, Sara smiling in greeting as well.

"Oh there you guys are," David replied. "What took you guys so long?"

Sara cleared her throat. "Well, something cropped up… Sorry about it."

Nick nodded, and gingerly navigated down the steep slope, then reaching stable ground. As Sara was prepared to make her way down, he extended a hand for her, flashing her a smile.

"Thanks," Sara said gratefully, taking his hand and returning the smile.

"Nah, don't mention it," Nick responded, then turning to David. "So… any form of identification on the vic?"

"Nope. Pockets are empty," David said.

"Well, hopefully we'll get a hit off of AFIS or something," Nick said, shaking his head, as he looked at the body. She was a blonde, and was in her pyjamas, which was soaked in her own blood. Her eyes were still open, and she was sprawled over the grass.

"One of the police officers called this in. He was on patrol when he found the body like this," Sara said, gesturing over to an officer standing near a police car.

"I'll have a talk with him later," Nick stated.

David nodded. "So, lividity is fixed, and the body's partially into rigor. Liver temp puts TOD around 2am to 3am last night. COD is exsanguination; she bled out from a bullet hole. Entry wound is through the chest near the shoulder blade," he said, pointing to the wound. "And the exit wound is through the vic's back," he stated, lifting the body slightly so that the two CSIs could see the wound.

"No signs of the bullet. We could still get traces of GSR on the body if we're lucky," Sara stated, snapping a few more photographs. "Our Jane Doe apparently fell from the top of the slope, and gradually stopped here," Sara continued. "Multiple defensive wounds across arms and wrists, bruises all over her body... Looks like she was in some sort of struggle," Sara continued, and she started gathering trace evidence from the body, while Nick went up to talk to the officer.

After a bout of trace-collecting, Sara stood up from the body, wiping off some perspiration from her forehead. "I think we're done here for now," she concluded, swapping glances with Nick as he approached her from on top of the slope, and he nodded in response.

"Okay. I'll contact you guys once autopsy's completed," David said, as Nick and Sara made their way back to the Denali.

Upon reaching the Denali, both of them reached for the driver's side door at the same time.

"I wanna drive," Sara said, retracting her hand.

"No way, you already drove just now. You could take a break," Nick replied, smiling, as he opened the door and got in, without even letting Sara retort.

"Hey!" Sara exclaimed, as she ran around over to the other door. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Apparently not. Too bad, princess," Nick responded playfully, as a grin formed on his face.

Sara punched his arm mischievously, while grinning herself. "Whatever you say."

They enjoyed a moment of comfortable silence, before Nick spoke.

"Okay, so what now?"

"Well," Sara answered, looking thoughtful. "First we need to identify our Jane Doe. We'll need to talk to her family, and then we'll need to head down to the morgue for the autopsy results, which will depend on whether Doc Robbin's done or not…"

"No, not about the case!" Nick said.

"What?" Sara asked. "Oh… About the Ecklie thing…?"

"Yeah," Nick replied. "I was wondering how we were gonna explain it to them."

"There's no other way to explain it to them," she said. "We're so screwed."

Nick shook his head. "Yeah, we are."

* * *

"So, our vic's name is Erica Clayton, thirty-one," Nick said, as he walked down the corridor with Sara, case file in hand. "Lives with her husband, Thomas Clayton, and she's got two daughters, Esther and Taylor."

Nick paused, as he continued to peruse the file. "Well, Thomas Clayton's got several charges against him before… D.U.I., assault on a police officer… Charges, but wasn't put in jail before."

"Assault charges?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think we'll need to have a talk with him."

"Yeah, Brass contacted him already. He's on his way over."

At that moment, Nick and Sara ran into Catherine, Warrick and Greg.

"Oh, hey guys," Sara greeted, as she studied their expressions. Catherine looked pretty annoyed, and Warrick and Greg were basically beaming.

"We need to talk," Catherine said, and gestured to the break room not far away.

The pair swapped glances, as they followed Catherine into the break room.

Uh-oh. _She looks pissed._

_**

* * *

That's chapter 6! Hope it was okay. Leave a review! (: I'll start on chapter 7 soon.**_

_**Happy holidays!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Explanations: Chapter 7

_**I'm so sorry for not updating this long! *hangs head in shame* School has been super busy, and frankly, I wasn't motivated to write much, as I had devoted more of my time to deviantArt. (Check out my profile on dA! There's a link on my profile page.) We're supposed to have a one-week 'term break', but in addition to that, we have a huge effing pile of homework to do, and it's the last day of the 'break' already, and I've still not finished them! What kind of term break is this?**_

_**Anyway, this story ain't dead yet! Enjoy chapter 7. **_

* * *

Filing in behind Catherine, Warrick, and Greg, Nick and Sara swapped sideward glances as all of them entered the room.

"How can you even joke about something like that?" Catherine started, directing her words at the pair, while Warrick and Greg were grinning behind her. "It's _not_ funny," she said now, as she glared at the two over her shoulder, and they promptly stopped beaming (for the moment).

"I know it wasn't necessary, Cath. We're sorry," Sara replied.

"Yeah, it was all in the name of good fun," Nick added, raising his eyebrows as he noticed Warrick and Greg grin again.

"I know you guys didn't mean any harm," Catherine said, sighing. "But the matter _was_ serious. If Sara really was pregnant, then Nick had to switch to day shift. How would you guys cope? Besides, the graveyard shift needs you… And I lost forty dollars just like that! Oh, shut up," she shot to the guys behind her as they snickered. "I must've been out of my mind!"

"It was his fault," Sara stated, as Nick shot her a dirty look.

"Alright, alright… Sorry."

"Oh, forget it," Catherine replied. "But seriously, no more pranks in future, you get me?"

"Yeah," Nick and Sara answered, as Catherine made to exit the room now.

"Okay. We've got to go. See you guys around," she said, leaving. Greg shot the rest a smile before following behind Catherine.

"See? I was right from the beginning, Stokes!" Warrick whispered eagerly at Nick. "Both of you are lucky Ecklie didn't do anything. He's probably in a good mood."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sara said, punching him in the arm. "We've got to go too. Got a suspect to talk to."

* * *

Sara and Nick approached the man standing in he corridor, leaning against the wall. He looked well into his thirties; his hands were tucked t he was staring at his feet he was clad in a collared shirt and jeans, his hair unkempt. There was worry written all over his face, and maybe something more... something else... Guilt, maybe...?

"Mr Clayton?" Nick asked, and Thomas Clayton started, looking up at the duo.

"Oh, yes… I received a call from one of your officers and I came down here as fast as I could," he answered.

"We're sorry for your loss, Mr Clayton," Sara said, as they walked over to some spare seats. "We need you to tell us what happened yesterday."

He nodded, sitting down. "Uh, yeah, okay," he said, fidgeting. Sara and Nick swapped brief glances. "Erica said she was going to the children's home to check on the kids," Thomas Clayton said. Sara pursed her lips, Nick noticing, as Clayton continued, "She volunteers there regularly. That was the last I saw her…" he trailed off.

"Could you think of anyone who would have harmed Erica?" Nick asked.

"No, no… Of course not. Everyone loved her… No one would've hurt her."

Sara nodded. "Were you at home all night?"

"Yeah, yeah… I was with Esther and Taylor."

"And what time did you last see Erica?"

"Uh… I don't know, around eight last night? Look, I'm sorry, I just can't think straight now, with Erica suddenly gone and all… It's been one hell of a day."

"It's okay, we'll have a talk with you again when you're better. Go get some rest," Nick said, patting him on the back as they stood up. Thomas Clayton nodded but said nothing, as he left.

Nick turned to Sara. "You think he's suspicious?"

"Might be, but we can't be sure for now," Sara replied. "We'll need to talk to their kids, actually. We'll also have to visit this children's home, to see if Thomas Clayton was telling the truth or not."

"He was so restless throughout the whole questioning."

Sara shrugged. "We can't judge him based on that. Maybe he was just nervous…"

It scared her to think that Thomas Clayton might be the perpetrator. Erica Clayton, being hurt by the person that she thought loved her, not knowing, not anticipating. And what about their kids? Are they going to be hurt like how Erica had? Erica Clayton, as well as her kids, would be another innocent victim of domestic abuse…

…just like her mum.

She shook her head, shaking away the negative thoughts that had formed in her mind. A D.U.I. and some assault charges don't mean that Thomas Clayton was the perpetrator… He definitely loves his family; he'd never hurt them…

Sara wanted to believe that Thomas Clayton wasn't the one who hurt Erica, but deep down inside, she had that nagging feeling that told her otherwise…

* * *

_**I know this chapter ain't much, but I'm seriously trying to write more. There'll be more action in chapter 8, definitely. (Homework is really bothering me.)**_

_**I'm really sorry; I'll try to update when I can. **_


	8. Chapter 8

Explanations: Chapter 8

_**I know I am very late with the updates. But do remember I am not paid to do anything, so I tend to take a reeeeeeeeeealy long time. Besides, I was concentrating on DeviantArt. Go check it out! (Link on my profile.) Plus the holidays were so packed, could barely do anything. **_

_**I love writing fanfiction, don't get me wrong. Writing them improve my English, actually. But I just lose the motivation to do so.**_

_**Putting all that aside, chapter 8 is back! I really want to finish this story. :)  
**_

* * *

"Okay, so Erica volunteered at the Faith Children's Shelter every weekend, and it's in the charge of an Alicia Greenwood," Sara read off a file as she and Nick exited their SUV, already reaching the children's home that Erica Clayton frequented. "Erica's been volunteering for close to two years now, and she's rather popular with the kids."

Nick nodded, shutting the door. "We'll have to check whether Erica popped by last night or not, otherwise Thomas Clayton would have some explaining to do."

"I'd hope not."

The pair walked up a small slope and approached the children's home. It looked pretty new – the fresh coats of paint were clearly visible. There was a little banner at the top of the entrance which showed the name of the shelter, as well as handprints, most presumably the kids'. Closed curtains could be seen through the windows, so it was probably nap time, Sara commented.

A woman opened the door after Nick knocked quietly on it.

"Yes, how can I help you?" the blonde woman greeted. She was clad in a blue dress, and her hair was neatly tied up in a long ponytail. A little name badge pinned on the chest of her dress said 'Alicia'. So, she was the person-in-charge.

"Are the both of you looking for a child to adopt?" she asked, smiling.

"Oh no," Sara said quickly, flushing slightly.

Nick grinned, but it faltered a little. Back to business. "We're actually from the LVPD," he continued, and they showed their badges to her. "We have some questions to ask."

"Oh, sorry," Alicia replied sheepishly. "Well, what would you like to know?"

"Is Erica Clayton a volunteer here?" Sara asked.

Alicia nodded, beaming. "Of course; she's a regular here. The kids absolutely love her. She's just a genius when handling the kids. Why would you ask about Erica? Is she alright?"

Nick hesitated slightly. "Uh, well, Alicia," he said, gesturing to her name badge, to which she nodded. "Erica was murdered last night... and we need some information from you."

"What? Erica's dead?" Alicia said, disbelief written all over her face. "Oh god… I… Is this some kind of mistake…?"

"No, ma'am," Nick replied, as Alicia clasped a hand to her mouth, shaking her head. "We're sorry for your loss, Alicia," Sara said. "Did Erica come here last night?"

"Yeah… yeah, she did," Alicia answered, still slightly taken aback. "She came... for a short while..."

"Did anything unusual happen?"

"No... but she looked a little listless, though."

Sara nodded, turning to Nick. "So, Thomas Clayton was right about Erica coming over. But that doesn't mean that his alibi checks out, though."

Nick's cellphone rang; he mouthed a 'sorry', and picked the call up. "Hey, Doc. Yeah, we're at the children's home… Okay, cool. Thanks." Hanging up, he turned back to Sara. "The autopsy's done. Doc Robbins wants us to have a look."

Sara nodded solemnly, and then addressed Alicia. "We've to ask a few more questions if you don't mind. Do you happen to know Erica's husband?"

Alicia nodded. "He pops by occasionally, but other than that, no, not really."

"Does Erica have any problems with him?"

"No… not that I know of, anyway," Alicia replied.

Sara nodded. "Alright. Thanks for your time. We'll have to come by if we have anything else."

"Sure... I'll be here."

Nick and Sara turned to leave. Halfway down the slope, Nick realized Sara wasn't beside him as he reached out to his side, and turned around. She was at the door of the children's home again.

"I'd hope you could break the news to the kids gently," she said, a hand on Alicia's shoulder. Nick could hear her from where he stood. He saw Alicia nod, then gave Sara a small smile, and mouthed a 'thank you'. Nick watched as Sara smiled as well, and then returned down the slope.

"The kids will be fine," Nick reassured Sara, as she came to him.

"I know they will," Sara said. "But it's gonna be hard. Erica was so close to them."

The pair walked back to the SUV in silence after that.

* * *

"COD was exsanguination; TOD was 2am to 3am the previous day she died; all of which was concluded when we found her," Doc Robbins said, his voice resounding through the thin air inside the morgue. Nick and Sara stood over the body on either sides of the table, listening intently.

Erica Clayton lay on the cold, hard metal table, lifeless, her empty eyes staring into nothing. The blood she was covered in was gone now, and her skin was now tinted a pale grey. It was a rather sad sight.

Well, they always were, weren't they?

Doc Robbins continued. "The bullet was fired at a close range. Went right through her. The gun which fired the bullet was a .45; hopefully that'll help. There's also multiple bruising all over your vic's body, especially the abdomen and on her arms," he said, pointing to the bruising all over the victim, his glasses hanging off his neck. "They're consistent with a beating she received. She's got quite some internal bleeding as well."

"Our murderer definitely had a vengeance," Nick stated, as Sara pursed her lips.

"Anything else unusual about the vic?" she asked.

"No, none that I've noticed."

Sara nodded. "Alright. Thanks. We'll come back if we need anything."

"You'll know where to find me," Al Robbins replied, smiling slightly.

"Right. Erica Clayton did not have a car registered under her, but there was one registered under Thomas Clayton's," Sara said, holding a sheet of paper in one hand. She and Nick were in the meeting room. Maps and papers were scattered over the table.

"And since Erica was body-dumped, while Thomas did have a record, I figure that would be worth checking out on… Maybe we could get a warrant," she continued, as Nick nodded slowly.

"But we don't have any evidence to suggest that Thomas Clayton was related in any way to Erica's death," Nick pointed out, as Sara bit her lip. "I know how you feel, Sara, but we can't get a warrant even if we want to."

It was Sara's turn to nod in agreement. "I know… If we can't get a warrant, then we really should pop by and ask him a few questions anyway," Sara answered. She set the paper on the table, and folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"I seriously do not have good vibes off of Thomas Clayton."

"Why?"

"Something just seems… off… about him," Sara said. "I have a bad feeling towards him."

Nick furrowed his brows. "Well, you do know that a sixth sense is not exactly the most concrete evidence if we're gonna nab this guy," he said. "And besides, he's her husband. He probably wouldn't hurt her."

"You don't know what people like him can do."

There was a moment of silence, as Nick realized he probably shouldn't have said what he did, and he mentally slapped himself for it. It was almost painful to entertain the thought that Thomas Clayton may have harmed his wife.

"Sorry," Nick said quietly. He watched Sara nod, frown slightly, and then turn around, facing the bulletin board with her back towards him, arms still folded. The bulletin board had only two suspects shown on it – Thomas Clayton and Alicia Greenwood.

"It's okay," she replied, then sighed, turning back to face Nick. "This is just an 'if'. If Thomas Clayton _did_ harm Erica, how could it have happened?"

"He might've done the deed in the house… when the kids aren't around," Nick said, observing her reaction. She remained silent, so he continued, referring to the map on the table. "He shoots her here," he said, pointing to the Claytons' residence. "And then drives off to dump the body over here," Nick now pointed to the spot on Charleston Boulevard, where they found Erica. Sara drew a red line with a marker on the map without hesitation.

"He drove a pretty long way," she said.

"Of course he had to, it's a body."

"If he had to do it without his kids around, it should've been a weekday. He probably took a day off. We should check with the company he works at."

"What? Do we go now?"

She smiled a little. "Why not?"

* * *

_**This chapter is just a filler, that's why it's longer… It's gonna get better, and more humour will come in later. Leave a review! They're all very appreciated! And please, be patient… (School is SO hectic. ._.)**_


	9. Chapter 9

Explanations: Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9's here! It'll mostly be a filler to elaborate on the case… I think that's important. I'll try my best to put in some humour. And warning! Some language is expected.**_

* * *

The SUV pulled up alongside the outside of the hotel that Thomas Clayton worked at.

Nick exited the SUV after Sara. "Somehow, I've never pictured him to be a receptionist at a hotel. "

"Things aren't always as they seem."

The pair entered the building. It wasn't a very big hotel, but it was definitely well-decorated for a fairly medium-sized one. Whoever was the owner was definitely a devoted person, Sara thought, as she glanced at the numerous potted plants and paintings sprinkled around the main lobby area. Several people were lining up at the receptionists'.

"That's him," Sara pointed out.

Thomas Clayton was seated behind a counter, and was attending to a Hispanic man.

Nick and Sara approached Thomas Clayton's counter immediately after the man had left, earning dirty looks from some of the people in line.

"Excuse me, but you'd have to get in line," Thomas said without looking up from the computer screen.

"I think this is a good enough all-access pass," Nick said, showing him his police badge.

He looked up, and a look of surprise and shock crossed his face.

"We'd like to talk to your boss, actually."

"My boss? He's in the office."

Nick and Sara pushed open the door to the boss' office. He was seated behind a desk, wearing a navy-blue suit. 'Derek Sturgeon' was written on the plague sitting atop of the desk.

"Mr. Sturgeon, we're from the LVPD," Sara introduced, as the manager looked up at them, slightly puzzled.

"Ah, I see," he replied. "How can I help you?"

"We're investigating a homicide," Nick continued. "The victim is the partner of one of your employees, Thomas Clayton."

"Yes. I've heard it from the other employees."

"We wanted to know if Thomas Clayton took any unpaid leaves within the past week."

"Well, he did last Tuesday and Wednesday off. The twelfth and thirteenth, if I'm not wrong."

Sara exchanged looks with Nick. "That was the period of time when Erica's body was found," Sara said to Nick, out of earshot from Derek Sturgeon.

Nick turned back to Derek Sturgeon. "Did Thomas seem uneasy and out of sorts lately?"

"He did, actually. Seemed to be pretty upset over something. You might want to ask the other employees. They might know better."

"Alright, thanks for the cooperation, Mr. Sturgeon," Sara said, shaking his hand. "They would be helpful to us."

The pair exited the office. "I'll go ask the employees about Thomas, and you'll ask Thomas himself about the leave?" Nick suggested.

"Sure," Sara replied, and proceeded to have a talk with Thomas Clayton.

Nick approached the counters. There wasn't any queue, fortunately for him. He glanced backwards at Sara, who was speaking with Thomas Clayton already, then made his way to the counters.

"Anything you guys can tell me about Thomas Clayton?"

"Thomas? Well, other than the fact that he was pretty quiet, nothing much," a blonde receptionist said.

"He had a wife."

"And two kids, they were adorable."

"He used to have this sleek red car, but he sold it for some reason. Pity."

"He seemed really upset that day, though," one of them said. Nick turned to her, gesturing her to elaborate. "I think he saw his wife with another man."

Nick raised his eyebrows. Now this is interesting. Motive? "Any idea who?"

"No, but apparently, he's a little younger than his wife. I overheard Thomas cursing not-so-softly the other day."

"When was it?"

"Two weeks ago, I guess."

"Alright, thanks for the info," Nick answered, then looked over his shoulder at Sara, who gestured for him to go over. He replied with a nod.

* * *

_A while ago:_

Sara approached Thomas Clayton. He took unpaid leave for two days, and they happened to be the days when Erica Clayton died. That was definitely suspicious.

"Sorry for the wait, Mr. Clayton."

"Nah, it's okay."

"I've heard from your boss that you took two days of unpaid leave last week. Those two days happened to be the period when Erica's body was found. Where were you in those two days?"

"I was resting after I visited the police station," he replied simply. "I was at my other apartment in Brooklyn."

"Without your family?"

"I wanted to be alone."

"Where were your children?"

"At my parents'."

"Then, can anyone verify your whereabouts?"

"No," he answered. "Like I said, I was alone. Am I a suspect now?"

"Yes, you are," Sara replied, expressionless. "You have an alibi that doesn't seem to check out."

"The security guard may remember me, but he's getting a little old, so he might not."

Sara pursed her lips, and turned to look at Nick. He was talking to the receptionists. He looked up at that moment, and she mouthed at him to 'get over here'. Nick nodded, and came over to where she and Thomas Clayton stood. She pulled him away from Thomas Clayton.

"He says he was resting at an apartment."

"He does have one in Brooklyn. But get this: the others say he saw his wife with another man."

"That must have pissed him off," Sara stated, and they turned back to Thomas Clayton.

"According to your colleagues, you seemed pretty upset, and one overheard you talking about Erica with another guy," Nick said. "Mind telling us what that was about?"

Thomas Clayton seemed pretty calm at that. "Yeah… I saw Erica with another man... He volunteered at the shelter for some time."

"What made you that upset?"

"They seemed… pretty close."

"That must have angered you a lot. What did you do? Did you confront Erica?" Sara asked.

"Of course I did. It had been going on for a while already. I couldn't take it anymore when he actually dropped her off at our house."

"Did you hit Erica?"

"No," he answered.

Sara furrowed her brows. "Then why are your fists bruised?"

He immediately hid his hands in his pockets. "I was at the gym."

"You had assault charges."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"You hit her."

"I didn't say I did. Plus, there isn't any evidence, is there?"

And then he smiled.

Sara gritted her teeth, which alerted Nick, and grabbing her arm to try to calm her down, he told Thomas Clayton, "You'd better not leave town. We'll come back for you."

* * *

"_Son of a bitch!"_

Sara slammed her drink down on the bar top.

"Calm down, Sara," Nick tried to comfort her, but to no avail.

The two of them were seated in a bar they happened to find after their shift. They had returned to the police station, after the little talk with Thomas Clayton, to frantically find some evidence to convict him but their efforts were futile. Nick had no idea what to do as he watched Sara drive the Denali. He thought they were going to crash or something, seeing that Sara was so worked up. She insisted on driving though, and he couldn't stop her.

"It was _so_ obvious that it was him!" Sara seethed. "He's got the motive, and he's got the bruised fists. Plus the car! He sold it the day Erica was murdered. Tell me, how is that not suspicious?"

"We couldn't retrieve the car anymore; it was already destroyed at the junk yard," Nick reminded her. "There just wasn't enough substantial evidence," Nick continued, trying to phrase his words properly so that Sara didn't get even more agitated. He knew what it meant to her. Thomas Clayton was a domestic abuser, just like how her father was. He knew how much she wanted to nab him.

Sara was already tipsy now, and yet she was still drinking. Nick took the glass away from her. "Cut down on the alcohol, you're still recovering from your food poisoning-"

She tried to snatch it back. "Oh, who the fuck cares?"

"Well, I do," Nick replied, and then downed the glass himself. Sara stared at him in disbelief, as he called for refills.

"Look, I want to catch him as much as you do, but drowning yourself in alcohol is not going to make it work. Plus, think of the hangover you'll get tomorrow. Honestly."

She started to retch again, and clasped a hand over her mouth. "Ugh… I don't care," Sara replied. "It just isn't fair."

"It usually ain't that way," Nick sighed as he stared into his refilled glass which was in his hands.

Eventually, more refills were had, and before they even realized it, it was already midnight.

Sara looked at her watch, after raising her head from the table, and managed to make out the time, 12:08a.m. "Oh… We have to go," she concluded, hitting Nick on the arm as he glanced at his own watch as well.

Murmuring a 'thanks' to the bartender, who watched them drink for two hours, Nick slapped the bill on the bar top, and then proceeded to get off the chair himself. The ground was pretty shaky, alright. He couldn't really think straight, but he was lucky he wasn't as drunk as Sara was. She was _wasted._

"Whoa, watch your step there," he said groggily, as he helped Sara onto her feet while he struggled to do the same, and she slung an arm around his shoulder. They exited the bar, out onto the streets of Las Vegas, as the wind blew at them. Although it was midnight, some people would say: the night was still young. There were still a considerable number of cars driving along the street, and many shops and casinos were still open.

"So, where to?" she asked, smirking as she leant into him. "Yours or mine?"

Nick felt himself flush slightly, then tried to flag down a cab, avoiding Sara's gaze. "You need to go home."

"Huh… I'm guessing to mine then… You take a right from here, and then go straight…"

"Nah, we'll hail a cab," Nick answered as a cab came to a halt beside them. Hauling Sara into the cab with him, he gave the driver the address, and the cab drove off.

* * *

_**Yeah, this one is pretty long. (Plus, d**__**o the CSIs have badges? I'm not very sure about that.)**_

___**Alright, this story is finally moving forward. Will be working on chapter 10 soon! Please leave a review!**_


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